Encapsulation
Author
Camila Betterelli Giuliano, PhD
Publication Date
February 27, 2025
Keywords
Droplet microfluidics
Single-cell encapsulation
4D printing
Artificial cells
Intelligent Microfluidics
Deep Learning
Microfluidic Devices
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
Your microfluidic SME partner for Horizon Europe!
Droplet microfluidics
Microfluidics not only allowed the production of controlled and monodispersed droplets, it allowed researchers to use these droplets as tiny reservoirs to isolate single cells and other particles. Imagine the orders of magnitude in resolution gain that became possible when we moved from bulk observations to analysis of individual cells. That’s the power of encapsulation.
And, of course, we could not let this powerful technique slide by us. The MIC is implicated in several encapsulation projects in a variety of applications, as you can see below.
DarChemDN, Darwinian Chemistry in Droplets
Mixing microfluidics and chemistry results in a whole new field of study: evolutionary chemistry.
The goal is to create self-replicating inorganic molecules by encapsulating autocatalytic systems in confined compartments (GA no. 101119956).
The MIC provides the microfluidics expertise to produce high-throughput monodisperse droplets encapsulating these systems. If you want to know more, visit the project’s page here.
NAP4DIVE, nanoparticle optimisation to cross the blood-brain-barrier
Crossing the blood-brain-barrier to deliver drugs to the brain is still very challenging. The goal of the NAP4DIVE project is to test different types of nanocompartments encapsulating compounds of interest and optimised for membrane crossing, in a bbb-on-chip model (GA no. 101155875).
The MIC is responsible for developing the microfluidic circuit that feeds the cells inside bbb-on-chip and carries the nanoparticles until the membrane. If you want to know more about the project, visit the project page.
Bio-hHost, artificial cells to influence living cell interactions
Cells are in constant interaction with one another. The Bio-hHost project wants to understand these interactions in depth by creating realistic 3D tissue models that mix artificial cells and living cells (GA no. 101130747).
The MIC is in charge of developing the platform that will keep the 3D tissue models in good condition on top of the microscope stage without the need for a CO2 incubator or incubator chamber. Get to know more about the project following the link!
Voxwrite, 4D printing with microfluidics
Additive manufacturing, especially 3D printing, has become a consolidated technology in construction and prototyping. The Voxwrite project wants to take it one step further, using droplet-based microfluidics to design complex 4D materials (project no. ANR-23-CE10-0018-02).
The MIC is developing the microfluidic sequential injection device to produce resin droplets with varying compositions and employ them in 4D printing processes. To know more about Voxwrite, follow the link!
References
- Iftikhar, S., A. Vigne, and J.E. Sepulveda-Diaz, Droplet-based microfluidics platform for antifungal analysis against filamentous fungi. Scientific Reports, 2021. 11(1): p. 22998.
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FAQ – Encapsulation
What do you actually mean by “encapsulation” in microfluidics?
In our context, encapsulation is the act of trapping cells, spores, enzymes, or nanoparticles inside a micro-scale droplet. Each droplet behaves like its own micro-reactor, which is extremely handy when you want controlled conditions and reproducible readouts.
Why use droplets instead of bulk experiments?
Two words: resolution and control. Droplet microfluidics gives you monodisperse compartments and isolates single events (a single cell, a single spore, a single reaction). Compared with bulk, you avoid cross-talk and get statistics that reflect genuine heterogeneity rather than averages.
What are the advantages of droplet generation?
- High monodispersity droplets of nearly identical size.
- Control over internal chemistry, composition, and boundary conditions tightly.
- Droplets act as isolated microenvironments, reducing cross-talk and enabling precise measurement.
What kinds of projects use your encapsulation expertise?
Here are a few examples:
- DarChemDN (“Darwinian Chemistry in Droplets”): encapsulating autocatalytic chemical systems to study molecular self-replication dynamics.
- NAP4DIVE: optimizing nanoparticles that can cross the blood-brain barrier, using droplet systems to screen and test them.
- Bio-hHost: engineering artificial cells that interact with living cells within 3D tissue models.
- Voxwrite: coupling microfluidic droplet generation with 3D printing (“4D printing”) to create complex materials.
How do you create high-throughput, uniform droplets for chemical or biological systems?
We use precision microfluidic circuits to generate high-throughput, monodisperse droplets, meaning each droplet is nearly identical in size and composition. This allows isolated reactions, single-cell studies, or chemical self-replication experiments to run in a highly controlled and reproducible way.
DarChemDN studies chemical self-replication and evolution using isolated droplet reactors. MIC provides the microfluidics expertise to produce the monodisperse droplets that encapsulate these chemical systems.
What are “artificial cells”?
Artificial cells are droplet-based compartments designed to mimic certain behaviors of real biological cells (e.g., reactions inside, exchange of material). They allow us to study how chemical networks or synthetic systems behave in “pseudo-cellular” settings. For 3D tissue models, we maintain the constructs under stable environmental conditions right on the microscope stage, with no bulky CO₂ incubator, so you can run long acquisitions without moving the sample.
How do you maintain sensitive 3D tissue or artificial cell systems on a microscope?
We develop compact, integrated platforms that control temperature, gas, and humidity directly on the microscope stage. This allows live imaging of delicate 3D tissues or artificial cells without a traditional CO₂ incubator, keeping the microenvironment stable and physiological. This allows live imaging while keeping the tissue healthy.
Bio-hHost works on artificial cells designed to influence living cell interactions.
Can droplet systems be integrated into other platforms, like organ-on-chip?
Yes. For instance, in the NAP4DIVE project, droplets containing nanoparticles are injected into a blood-brain barrier (BBB) chip to study transport across the barrier.
How do you integrate droplet generation with advanced manufacturing like 4D printing?
Voxwrite integrates microfluidics with 4D printing. MIC designs the sequential microfluidic injection device that produces resin droplets with varying compositions. These droplets are then used in 4D printing processes to create materials with programmable properties.
Can encapsulation benefit from automation?
Encapsulation pairs nicely with automated control and machine-learning-assisted readouts: adaptive flow control, image-based quality checks, and rapid classification of droplet contents.
I’m building a Horizon Europe consortium. What role can MIC play?
MIC is a French SME specializing in microfluidic engineering and automation. We routinely co-lead the microfluidic work packages (design, prototyping, validation) and help with integration across biology, chemistry, and data. Including a capable SME tends to strengthen proposals on impact and implementation; in our experience, having MIC on board roughly doubles the odds of success compared with official baselines.
